4 Florida Teams Open Ncaa Bid

November 13, 2001|By Alan Schmadtke, Sentinel Staff Writer

Women's soccer continues its surge in Florida, and the NCAA Women's Cup -- an expanded event formerly known as the NCAA Tournament -- features four teams from the state, headed by the University of Florida.

UCF, Florida State and Miami join the Gators in the three-week, single-elimination tournament that concludes Dec. 9 in Dallas.

Making their sixth appearance in a row, the sixth-seeded Gators (17-3-1) host unseeded UCF (14-5) in a first-round game at 5 p.m. Friday at UF's Percy Beard Stadium. This will be UCF's eighth trip to the NCAAs. Also Friday in Gainesville, Miami (10-8-1) faces Georgia (12-5-1) at 2 p.m. It's the Hurricanes' first appearance in the tournament. The two winners play for the right to advance to the round of 16 next week at campus sites to be determined.

FSU (14-7-1) takes to the Women's Cup on the heels of its first appearance in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship game. The Seminoles, who lost to North Carolina in the ACC final, face Auburn (11-7-1) at noon Friday in Clemson, S.C. Kentucky (12-7-1) plays Clemson (12-4-1) at 2:30 p.m. in the other matchup.

FSU enters the 64-team Women's Cup having played more tournament teams (16) than any other team in the field.

The NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Committee, coping with an additional 16 teams for the first time, held to its charge of making each bracket regionally sound. All four Florida teams are in the same grouping of eight, meaning only one can advance to the national semifinals. Defending champion North Carolina (19-0) is the favorite.